RAWALPINDI: People have adopted modern ways to get up at Sehri but the Dholchi (drumbeater) has kept alive the decades-old tradition of waking up the faithful to keep fast.

Alarms on mobile phones and clocks have made the lives of people easier but the drumbeat to wake up the people at Sehri is very much in vogue.

In the downtown areas, one can hear the drumbeats from 2am. A group of two and four people can also be seen in the streets reciting Naat while beating Daff or Dhol.

Pervaiz Butt alias Paija, a drumbeater, says he has been performing the duty in Purana Qila for the last 25 years. For his service, he collects money from the residents at the end of Ramazan.

“I have been doing this job for the last 25 years. In return the people gave us food items or money. Decades ago, the residents of the mohallah used to request the drumbeaters to wake them up at Sehri but now they mostly use alarms bells.” He said it was a religious obligation to help the people so that they can offer prayers and have food for keeping fast.

Mr Butt said most of the people also did not sleep till Sehri. “In the past, the people used to go to bed soon after Taraweeh prayers and wake up after listening to Naats and the drumbeats, heralding the start of Sehr,” he said.

“Waking up the people at Sehr through drumbeats was very popular among the elders, children and women a decade ago,” said Abdul Rasheed Khan, a resident of Mohanpura. He said after the arrival of modern technology such as TV, cable and internet, many people missed this activity in Ramazan.

“In the past, children were excited to see the Dholwala in Sehri but now they remain busy with their mobile phones and laptops.

Noman Malik, a resident of Sadiqabad, said he and his neighbours convinced a Dholwala in the downtown area to visit their locality daily, so that they could show their children the traditional way of waking up the faithful in Ramazan.

He said two years ago no Dholwala visited the area and his family sometimes woke up late for Sehri and realised the need for the decades-old tradition. He said the tradition would also provide an opportunity to the people to help the needy without hurting their self-respect.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2015

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